OPB

09/01/2026

Attorneys general for Oregon and Washington say they will safeguard state laws that grant in-state tuition for immigrant students at public higher education institutions.

The Trump administration is cracking down on states that grant in-state tuition at public colleges to all resident students, regardless of immigration status.

08/31/2026

Since the 1970s, Idaho’s criminal and civil laws have allowed parents who belong to Followers of Christ and the state’s other faith-healing sects to pray rather than seek medical care as their children die.

For decades, Idaho laws have allowed parents who belong to the Followers of Christ and other faith-healing sects to pray rather than seek medical care. Since 2015, at least 15 children have died of treatable conditions.

08/31/2026

Restaurants, businesses and more have moved into the former JCPenney building in downtown Corvallis.

Businesses, restaurants, art studios and more have moved into the former JCPenney building in Corvallis.

08/31/2026

This week on OPB's The Evergreen: the deep and colorful history of tattooing in Oregon

The artistic and cultural practice of tattooing dates back thousands of years. In the Northwest, people have been getting tattooed since long before Oregon even existed. Today, more tattooers are getting licensed in the state each year, and Oregon is a destination for people looking to get inked.

We're exploring the stories behind Oregon's ink, from Indigenous tattoo practices that survived colonization, to sailor tattoos and Portland icon Bert Grimm, and beyond. We meet Oregon tattooers, like Tattoo 34's Toby Linwood (center), who tell us what the craft means to them and the people they tattoo. Linwood says he loves helping people feel like more of themselves and connect with who they are and where they come from by getting tattooed.

Listen now at the link in the comments or wherever you get your podcasts.

Watch Francisca Benitez's documentary for OPB's "Oregon Experience," "Tattoo People," at the link in our show notes

Produced by Jenn Chávez/OPB
Featuring Francisca Benitez/OPB and Jessie Sears/OPB
Image by Sheyla Felix for OPB

08/31/2026

Rogue Community College will offer eligible small manufacturers hands-on instruction designed to improve efficiency, workforce skills and government-contract readiness.

08/31/2026

Parent to Parent provides support and resources for families of children with autism and other developmental disabilities. It serves families of children and adults in all of Washington’s 39 counties, with tens of thousands of calls and emails for assistance every year.

With a strained state budget, there was talk of the contract for the Parent to Parent program stopping this month. It gets thousands of calls for assistance each year.

08/31/2026

The history of tattoos dates back thousands of years. In the Northwest, people have been getting tattooed since long before Oregon even existed. Today, more tattooers are getting licensed to practice the craft in the state each year, and Oregon is a destination for people looking to get inked.

From Indigenous tattoo practices that survived colonization to sailor tattoos and Portland icon Bert Grimm, we learn the stories behind Oregon’s ink.

08/31/2026

Equine-assisted therapy can offer young clients a different way to work through trauma. Treatment can be difficult to access in Southern Oregon, but at Ruby Ranch, kids heal by building a connection to horses — who, according to equine specialist Laura Williams, "are so in tune with human emotions."

Ruby Ranch provides a place for young people to heal by working with horses, channeling energy into the animals and receiving positive feedback in return. With the horses, says Melissa Sargent, "there's no judgment. There's nothing but just kindness and love."

08/31/2026

It's taken more than a decade, but Oregon State University's wave energy testing facility, the nation's first, is open and ready to provide a testing ground for devices that create electricity from ocean waves. But with disruptions in federal funding that testing is expected to begin next year.

Oregon State University’s wave energy testing facility is ready to begin operations.

08/31/2026

Cascadia Tech’s maritime program teaches juniors and seniors how to weld, solder, cook and more. It's gaining traction at a critical time for both the region’s students and the maritime industry.

Cascadia hopes its maritime program can give high schoolers a clear path from graduation to well-paying trade jobs in commercial shipping, port logistics, offshore energy — most anything involving the ocean.